The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-12-22
WOOL
Manufacturers Speak Out for Reform
Of the Tariff.
FER FREE RAW MATERIALS.
A Highly Proteced Business Which
Somehow Does Not Prosper
LABOR NOT BENEFITED.


body who has anything to do with
woolIen manufacturing, have appealed
against the part OF the message which
recommends that wool be made duty
free.
Woollen manufacturing has been a
poor business for good many years,
though highly aud e!aburately protect
ed. manufacturers not being prosper
Gus, neither are the Amt rican wool
growers and high rs the duty is on
foreign wool to protect" home wool
growers, the. Ohio Wool Growers AS
sociation reported to Secretary Man
ming in November, 1885, two years
ago, that they had Sustained loss OF
fully ten cents per pound on every
pound sold, or sixty cents per head on
every sheep kept"
They demanded therefore a heavy
increase of the duty on wool.
At the same time wool Ell manufac-
turers demanded either great reduc-
ton in the wool duty or free wool to
enable them to keep their machinery
profitably employed and their work
men busy. The recent wool conven-
ton did not find it convenient to refer
to these manufacturers. but these gen.
tlemen have right to be heard, and
here is what some of them said:
A SNARE AND A DELUsIoN.
Messrs. Beach & Co., wool'en manu-.
facturers, of Hartford Comn., wrote !:
Duties upon raw or partially manu-
iactured materials that are consumed
10y our manufactures just SO far as
they raise the cost ui such materials,
evidently nuiify the nominal protec
uon by the tariff on the finished goods
Just 50 far they give the foreign COM
peting manufacture the advantage
over our own and raise the prices To
the ultimate consumer of the goods,
and 80 far lessen his ability to consume
Our house has been in business for
more than fifty years, and in all that
time, MS now, closely connected with
and interested in various manufactur
ing operations.
From our observation and expert.
ence we have learned that Il high tar
itf is not of necessity protection, either
to the laborers or to the employers
On the contrary, it is usually snare
and dplusion. 1t is our firm belief
that the labor of our country would be
better protected and manufacturers be
upon much soundtr basis with free
raw materials and moderate duty
upon the manufactured products to
compensate for our higher cost labor.
M Alfred Dodge, manufactures Of
piano felt, New York, wrote:
Unlpss this duty on the raw material
woo" is taken off or specific duty
in correct proportion to the duty on
wool and the increased expense of
manufacturing iii America adopted,
the wo0llen manufactures OF America
Cannot compete with Europe, except
IN the lower grade of goods, where
cheap machinery and comparatively
little manual labor is used, because
the tariff rates are the same ON finer
grades as on lower grades OF goods.
Ii il n fact, to which | need hardly call
your attention, that the finest woOllen
goods are not, and can not, be manu-
fdctured here at remunerative rates or
At any profit on account Of the present
tariff.
Whenever \ woollen manufacturing
business requires fine wool. skilled la
bor aud costly machinery the manu-
iacturer and his workmpn are not pro.
lected against cheap labor, cheap
wool, cheap machines and, finally
cheap money of the European COM
peti'ors.
HIGH DUTIES, Low WAGES,
Mr.. Dodge shows that high duties
mean low wages. He says;
At present the only alternative for
the manufacturer is to either close his
factory or reduce wages, which latter
should certainly be the very last resort
, because it will create n social question
which it will be very difficult to solve
as the critical condition Of the labor
question in Europe shows us.
We must give our lahorers more
than just living the natural resOur
| ces of the country warrant it. Unless
\ change in the tariff is made | must
sooner or later give up the struggle
md close my mill, because will not
md can not employ pauper labor.
Mr.. Benjamin G. Potts, woolleu
: manufacturer, Philadelphia, wrote;
think raw materials should be free
, Think finished manufactured good.
should be subjected to such rates oI
{ duties as would produce the best reve-
, nue. consistent With the largest market
: able importations. Perhaps all man
, ufactured goods should be 50 subjected
There is always normal market fOi
r foreign goods If freshf duty the i'm
/ p0rtations could not exceed that nor
NAL market under ordinary conditions
II subjected to duties, either specific
ar ad valurem, there is II limit within
which importations would not de
crease. To that limit, with the largest
free list possible without injustice, we
ought tn be able to adjust ourselves
b. think it would increase the value i
not the price, nf wool to the won
growers, by compelling more equablt
: and equitable rates Of freight.
He complains that the needless higf
tariff discriminates against wooller